April

HAPPY people places planet conference event postponed due to Coronavirus pandemic and replaced by hour long video stream. See video at https://youtu.be/bf0hSTEiI6E

Kerry Pocock establishes Happiness Book club to review popular book titles. See:-

https://www.facebook.com/happinessbookclub

March

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT: UK’s first National Happiness and Wellbeing Conference postponed.

Following a meeting at Bournemouth University this morning, I am writing
to inform you that our HAPPY people, places, planet conference scheduled to
take place at Bournemouth University from 17th to 19th
April 2020 has been postponed due to the growing concerns related to the spread
of coronavirus (Covid-19). This also
applies to the music concert on the Saturday evening at St Peter’s Church and
our planned day of experiences on the Sunday.

I am sorry that we have had to postpone this, our inaugural event, but we believe it is important to be socially responsible
and play our part in delaying the spread of the virus. A number of delegates, speakers
and event supporters have expressed concerns about travelling and attending a
live event at this time.

However, the good news is that we are planning to produce an online
video stream to introduce our conference speakers and invite them to give a
brief summary of their talk via the internet on the 18th April. We
believe this will help maintain the momentum that has been generated by this
event.

I will be in touch again shortly advising you of details of our video
stream and I look forward to welcoming you to support our postponed conference event
later in the year. Full details will be published as soon as we are able.

I would like to thank you for your understanding, patience and continued support for the UK’s first National Happiness and Wellbeing Conference in Bournemouth.

Gerry Clarke, Conference Director

Celebrating
World Happiness Day on March 20th

Friday
March 20th is the International Day of Happiness and this year the theme is
Happier Together, celebrating our common humanity and focusing on what people
have in common rather than what divides us. It is the day when the annual World
Happiness Report is published which ranks some 150 countries around the world
according to how happy their citizens feel. Most years the UK does not even feature
in the top ten!

That is why Gerry Clarke and Chris Croft had a vision to make the UK a happier place and created the World Happiness Project, with the number one priority of increasing happiness in the UK and around the world.

Working with Bournemouth University
and the BCP Council, they are launching the UK’s first National Happiness and Wellbeing
conference which is scheduled to take place in Bournemouth in April. “Why
wouldn’t anyone want to bring more happiness into their life?” say Gerry and
Chris. “Everyone wants to be happy and we can all learn some simple steps to
enjoying a happier life” As a leading management trainer, Chris has published a
Big Book of Happiness which introduces 87 practical ideas to increasing happiness.
It’s a happy easy read!

The National Happiness and Wellbeing
conference is a three-day event, free to the public and is being held at
Bournemouth University from 17th to 19th of April with support from BU and BCP.
The event showcases actions and interventions that can increase happiness and
improve mental health and well-being in the home, the community and the
workplace.

The programme on Friday is for professional people working in the Healthcare,
Education, Social Care, Public Service and Local Government sectors and is
fully subscribed.

Saturday is for the general public and local businesspeople
and features a series of talks on themes related to national and international happiness, mental health
and wellbeing. Keynote speaker is Sir Anthony Seldon, author
and founder of Action for Happiness Movement. Guest speakers include Dr Paul Litchfield, Chair of What Works Centre for
Wellbeing and Lord Richard Layard, editor of the 2020 World Happiness
Report who will be asking: “Can we be happier?” In the evening, a charity music
concert in aid of Dorset Mind, with an eclectic mix of
mind-blowing music featuring the Bournemouth Rock choir, takes place at St
Peter’s Church in Bournemouth.

On Sunday,
at various locations around the BCP region, a range of experiential activities and taster sessions related to
happiness, mindfulness and wellbeing. Including a beach sunrise
gathering, a forest bathing experience, meditation, Pilates, laughter yoga, dragon
boating, paddle boarding, exploring local wildlife, a cycling adventure with
Beryl Bikes and a nature tour round Brownsea Island. Plenty of local activities
that illustrate why the BCP region is one of the happiest and healthiest places
to live in the UK.

Mindful March – Happy Cafe meeting at the Canford Hotel in Poole

Dulcie introduces thoughts for Mindful March to the audience

February

Life Lessons at The Barbican in London

A visit to The Barbican in London yesterday to attend a Life Lessons event and discovered a host of happy people, books and speakers on the subject of Happiness. We listened to Rev Richard Coles discussing Happiness and Godliness with Richard Dawkins. Chris, Sally and I picked up a couple of books and a few useful ideas to incorporate in our HAPPY people, places, planet conference in April. Don’t forget to register to attend and book a ticket on Eventbrite before they are all sold out!

January 2020

Press article announcing HAPPY People – Places – Planet event

UK’s
1st National Happiness and Wellbeing Conference to be held in Bournemouth

The World
Happiness Project is working with Bournemouth University to launch the UK’s first
National Happiness and Wellbeing conference in Bournemouth in April.

HAPPY People-Places-Planet is a free event and takes
place over three days from 17th
to 19th April. The idea behind the conference is to
showcase actions and interventions that can increase happiness and improve
mental health and wellbeing in the community
and the workplace. It also highlights why the new BCP region is one of the happiest
and healthiest places to live in the UK.

Friday 17th APRIL at Bournemouth University Fusion Building is for professional people working in the Healthcare, Education, Social Care, Public Service and Local Government sectors.

Saturday 18th April is aimed at the general public as well as local business and industry, featuring a series of presentations on themes related to national and international Happiness, Mental Health and Wellbeing. Hosted by Chris Croft, author of The Big Book of Happiness and introducing a number of internationally recognised speakers. Keynote Speaker: Sir Anthony Seldon, Author and founder of Action for Happiness Movement. Guest Speaker: Dr Paul Litchfield, Chair of What Works Centre for Wellbeing and a call to action by Lord Richard Layard, editor of 2020 World Happiness Report asking: “Can we be happier?”

In the evening, a Charity Music concert with an eclectic mix of mind-blowing music at St Peter’s Church, Bournemouth
from 7.30pm. Tickets £10 on the door with a donation to Dorset Mind.

Sunday
19th April at various locations around the BCP
region and at the Branksome Dean Community Rooms, a range of experiential
activities and taster sessions related to
happiness, mindfulness and wellbeing. Including a beach sunrise
gathering, a forest bathing experience, meditation, pilates, laughter yoga, dragon
boating, paddle boarding, exploring local wildlife, a cycling adventure and a nature
tour round Brownsea Island. A whole host of activities that illustrate why the
BCP region is one of the happiest and healthiest places to live in the UK.

New Year’s Resolution and preliminary announcement about HAPPY People-Places-Planet Conference

Last year, my new year’s resolution was to discover what really matters
in life and how we can bring a bit more happiness into our lives. I discovered the
Action For Happiness Ten Keys to Happier Living, which are often referred to
as the GREAT DREAM:-

G is for GIVING – Do things for others

Helping others is not only a good thing to do, it also makes us
happier and healthier too. Giving also connects us to others, creating stronger
communities and helping to build a happier society. And it’s not all about
money – we can also give our time, ideas and energy. So if you want to feel
good, do good!

R is for RELATING – Connecting with people

People with strong and broad social relationships are happier,
healthier and live longer. Close relationships with family and friends provide
love, meaning, support and increase our feelings of self worth. So taking
action to strengthen our relationships and build connections is essential for our
happiness.

E is for EXERCISING – Taking care of your body

Being
active makes us happier as well as being good for our physical health. It
instantly improves our mood and can even lift us out of a depression. We don’t
all need to run marathons – there are simple things we can all do to be more
active each day. We can boost our well-being by unplugging from technology,
getting outside and making sure we get enough sleep!

A is for AWARENESS – Living life mindfully

Ever
felt there must be more to life? Well good news, there is! We just need to stop
and take notice the world around us. Learning to be more mindful can do wonders
for our well-being in all areas of life – such as our walk to work, the way we
eat, or our relationships with others. It helps us get in tune with our
feelings and can stop us dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

T is for TRYING OUT – Keep learning new things

Learning
affects our well-being in lots of positive ways. It exposes us to new ideas and
helps us stay curious and engaged. It also gives us a sense of accomplishment
and helps boost our self-confidence. There are many ways to learn new things –
not just through formal qualifications. We can share a skill with friends, join
a club, learn to sing, play a new sport and much more.

D is for DIRECTION – Have goals to look forward to

Feeling
good about the future is important for our happiness. We need goals that
motivate us and these need to be challenging enough to excite us. Choosing
ambitious but realistic goals gives our lives direction and brings a sense of
accomplishment and satisfaction when we achieve them.

R is for RESILIENCE – Find ways to bounce back

All
of us have feelings of stress, loss, failure or trauma in our lives. But how we
respond to these has a big impact on our well-being. We often cannot choose
what happens to us, but we can choose our own attitude to what happens. In
practice it’s not always easy, but recent research shows that resilience, like
many other life skills, can be learned.

E Is for EMOTIONS – Focus on what’s good

Take
a positive approach to life. Positive emotions – such as joy, gratitude and
contentment are not just great at the time. Research shows that experiencing
them creates an ‘upward spiral’, helping to build our resources. It helps to
focus on the good aspects of any situation – a glass half full rather than the
glass half empty.

A is for ACCEPTANCE – Be comfortable with who you are

No-one’s
perfect. But so often we compare our insides to other people’s outsides.
Dwelling on our flaws – what we’re not rather than what we’ve got – makes it
much harder to be happy. Learning to accept ourselves, warts and all, and being
kinder to ourselves when things go wrong, increases our enjoyment of life, our
resilience and our well-being.

M is for MEANING – Be part of something bigger

People
who have meaning and purpose in their lives are generally happier, feel more in
control and get more out of what they do. They also experience less stress,
anxiety and depression. But where do we find ‘meaning and purpose’? It’s not about money. It might be our religious faith,
being a parent or doing a job that makes a difference. Individual answers vary,
but they all involve being connected to something bigger than ourselves.

UK’s
1st National Happiness and Wellbeing Conference to be held in Bournemouth

Having practised these ten keys
to a happier life over the twelve months, I decided to launch the UK’s first
National Happiness and Wellbeing conference here in Dorset and have created an
exciting partnership to hold a three day event at Bournemouth University from
17th to 19th April.

The HAPPY People-Places-Planet event is free and is aimed at members
of the public as well as professional people working in the Healthcare,
Education, Social Care, Public Service and Local Government sectors.

The idea behind the conference is to showcase examples of actions and
interventions that can increase happiness and improve mental health and
wellbeing in our local community and in
the workplace. It will also highlight why the new BCP region is the happiest
place to live in the UK.

A number of internationally recognised
speakers will be giving presentations and talks related to Happiness, Mental
Health and Wellbeing and there’ll also be a range of experiential activities and
practical sessions for people to try out, including beach yoga, meditation,
forest bathing, laughter therapy, mindfulness, wildlife and nature tours, etc.

A music concert will be held at St Peter’s
Church on behalf of Dorset Mind mental health charity.

Year End News Roundup – December 2019

Chris and I have made excellent progress over the past year and have been collaborating with various people and organisations in this country and around the world.

Earlier in the year we attended an Action for Happiness Exploring What
Matters course and discovered the Ten keys to happier living. We went on to set
up Dorset’s first Happy Café which has since grown and prospered and we now have
a group of around three dozen people meeting regularly in a local café.

We were invited to attend the World Happiness Summit in Miami where we met some of the world’s leading experts in the science of happiness, positive psychology, wellbeing and mindfulness. This inspired us to launch an event in the UK and we have now created a new partnership with Bournemouth University to host the UK’s first happiness and wellbeing conference in April next year. The three day event is aimed at professionals working in Healthcare, Education, Social Care, Public Service and Local Government sectors and will showcase examples of ways of increasing happiness and improving mental health and wellbeing in UK society. A number of well-known speakers and international authors have agreed to join us and make a presentation. The dates are Friday 17th to Sunday 19th April and there will be a charity music concert on Saturday 19th April in aid of Dorset Mind.

Our global television project continues to gather momentum and we have now met with three different organisations and prepared a series of script treatments about what makes us happy and how to achieve happiness in life. We hope one of the programme outlines will soon get commissioned.

We are keen to explore opportunities for collaboration with any other individuals, companies and organisations interested in promoting the global happiness movement.